The Bradford Fire

[muppet]

Sorry lads I think this deserves its own thread.

Shocking stuff it there is even a hint of truth to it:

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/apr/15/the-story-of-the-bradford-fire-book-extract

The Story of the Bradford Fire: 'could any man really be as unlucky as Stafford Heginbotham?'

I knew the scale of this task. I'd have to get to the British Library Newspapers archive for 9am each morning, fill in the slips for the maximum number of items I could order – usually four bound volumes of the Bradford Telegraph & Argus, dating from January 1965 onwards, the year Stafford Heginbotham became involved with Bradford City – and sit at a desk, scanning each article until I'd covered 20 years' worth of newspapers. The whole process took two months, during which time I discovered there was a pattern to Stafford Heginbotham's fires. In a nutshell, they all spread incredibly quickly, produced an unbelievable amount of toxic smoke and devastation, and they all caught the firefighters unawares. But even more staggering was the sheer number of them.

I read how on a Sunday afternoon, 21 May 1967, fire engulfed a three-storey factory and its two-storey loading bay as a 200ft pall of toxic smoke temporarily overcame two firemen in Cutler Heights Lane, near Bradford city centre. Fifty firemen in all, deploying 14 jets, eight pumps and a turntable, were needed to bring it under control.


Revealed: former Bradford chairman linked to at least eight fires before Valley Parade disaster
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The young Bradford City chairman was surrounded by scores of boys watching the inferno and the police, mystified as to how a fire might have started in the factory, with no employees at work and no sign of a forced entry, announced their inquiries would continue with the children who were playing outside. At a time when the average national UK house price was £3,700, the fire caused £25,000 of damage, with a stock loss of £10,000 (the equivalent, in terms of house-price inflation today, of £1.6m and £600,000 respectively).

Then, on Good Friday 1968, overtime staff at Tebro Toys looked out of their windows as an "awfully black" pall of smoke drifted towards their premises from a three-storey factory at the opposite end of the industrial estate. When the managing director went to investigate he found what he described as a "fire going like a bomb" in the neighbouring building, also occupied by Tebro Toys and, the Argus stated, "Genefoam (Bradford Ltd) rubber manufacturers whose managing director is Mr Stafford Heginbotham, the Bradford City chairman".

By the time the fire brigade arrived a 500-gallon fuel tank had exploded, bringing down the factory's 40-foot walls and roof. Again, 50 firemen and 11 appliances were needed to bring the blaze – visible for miles around – under control.

I thumbed through another decade's worth of newspaper archives before I found another fire involving a firm owned by Stafford Heginbotham. On Tuesday 8 November 1977, the front page of the Telegraph & Argus reported that Heginbotham was still at his desk around six the previous evening when he heard the sound of breaking glass. Thinking his car was being vandalised he ran out, presumably to confront the vandals, only to find glass falling from the top two floors of the three-storey Douglas Mills, when he reportedly raised the alarm and called the fire brigade. The fumes breathed in by the first four firemen to arrive at his blazing toy firm were so toxic they were violently sick and required hospital treatment. In the end, 40 firemen were needed to control the blaze.

[Boycey]

I was reading this today, shocking stuff if true indeed.. He stops short of outright accusing him in the book apparently but enough heavyweight football correspondents referenced it today to suggest it's probably true.

[BennyHarp]

Living not too far from Bradford, I've heard and read a fair bit in the local media about this and there is a growing number of fingers being pointed at Mr Heginbotham. If true, it will be very difficult for many people to take. I would find it hard to believe that this man was so unlucky!!

[passedit]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLK4k1vIP30

2 Minutes in.

also listened to the Judge who did the inquiry on 5 Live this morning. Pontius Pilate wouldn't have a look in on this fella.
37 page report, didn't consider financial position or history of fires because 'no one brought it to his attention'.Cnut

[BennyHarp]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLK4k1vIP30

2 Minutes in.

also listened to the Judge who did the inquiry on 5 Live this morning. Pontius Pilate wouldn't have a look in on this fella.
37 page report, didn't consider financial position or history of fires because 'no one brought it to his attention'.Cnut

That interview is very interesting. He doesn't once express any sympathy, sadness or regret for those actually killed in the fire. It's all about him and the impact on his family. Just seemed very cold to me.

[Bingo]

Isn't he dead now? May never know the full story.

[Billys Boots]

Even at the time I remember wondering 'how in hell this could have happened?'

[Jeepers Creepers]

How was this missed? another case of the rolled up trouser brigade looking out for another.

[deiseach]

M'lud seems to be performing the reverse ferret on the subject. God be with the good old days when you could pooh-pooh the concerns of the proles and not have to face an immediate online backlash.

[armaghniac]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLK4k1vIP30

2 Minutes in.

also listened to the Judge who did the inquiry on 5 Live this morning. Pontius Pilate wouldn't have a look in on this fella.
37 page report, didn't consider financial position or history of fires because 'no one brought it to his attention'.Cnut

In fairness, a judge could not take into account these issues if they were outside of the scope of the enquiry. It was up to the Police to identify any arson. Which is not to say that he is not covering his arse now, of course.

[BennyHarp]

Isn't he dead now? May never know the full story.

Aye, he died about 20 years ago, it's amazing how long things can take to come out into the open.

[seafoid]

Isn't he dead now? May never know the full story.

Aye, he died about 20 years ago, it's amazing how long things can take to come out into the open.

Power keeps a lot of things quiet. Look at how well Jimmy Savile was protected.

[Main Street]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLK4k1vIP30

2 Minutes in.

also listened to the Judge who did the inquiry on 5 Live this morning. Pontius Pilate wouldn't have a look in on this fella.
37 page report, didn't consider financial position or history of fires because 'no one brought it to his attention'.Cnut

That interview is very interesting. He doesn't once express any sympathy, sadness or regret for those actually killed in the fire. It's all about him and the impact on his family. Just seemed very cold to me.

And the wild contrast with Terry Yorath's interview, expressing "normal"  human emotions.

Not that the pr**k should be condemned as guilty just on the basis  of his emotional dysfunctions

[BennyHarp]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLK4k1vIP30

2 Minutes in.

also listened to the Judge who did the inquiry on 5 Live this morning. Pontius Pilate wouldn't have a look in on this fella.
37 page report, didn't consider financial position or history of fires because 'no one brought it to his attention'.Cnut

That interview is very interesting. He doesn't once express any sympathy, sadness or regret for those actually killed in the fire. It's all about him and the impact on his family. Just seemed very cold to me.

And the wild contrast with Terry Yorath's interview, expressing "normal"  human emotions.

Not that the pr**k should be condemned as guilty just on the basis  of his emotional dysfunctions

Of course he shouldn't, and I wasn't!

You are right though, Terry Yorath spoke like a man who understood what the fans were feeling and more importantly it was clear that he was feeling it himself.

[Asal Mor]

M'lud seems to be performing the reverse ferret on the subject. God be with the good old days when you could pooh-pooh the concerns of the proles and not have to face an immediate online backlash.

The last part of that article   
"The citizens of Bradford behaved with quiet dignity and great courage. They did not harbour conspiracy theories. They did not seek endless further inquiries," he wrote then in a letter to the Times.

"They buried their dead, comforted the bereaved and succoured the injured. They organised a sensible compensation scheme and moved on. Is there, perhaps, a lesson there for the Hillsborough campaigners?"
Sir Oliver Popplewell in 2011.